Electrical apparatus for destroying insects.



APPLICATION FILED MAR.13, 1911 Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

IN VEN TOR prW A TTORNE Y WITNESSES I FRANKLIN 8. SMITH, OP PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR DESTROYING INSEO'I'S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

Application filed March 13, 1911. Serial No. 814,188.

To all whom'it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN S. SMrrn, a citizen of the United States, residing 1n Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Apparatus for Destroying Insects, of which the following is a specification.

My inventlon relates to improvements in electrical apparatus for the treatment of articles for the pur ose of destroying such insects, their eggs, arvee or pu ac, as may infest or be present in such artlcles and it has for its object to provide an apparatus having a relatively large number of oppositely disposed terminals between which terminals electrical discharges successively take place.

A further object ofmy invention 1s to provide an apparatus of this character which is composed of a relatively small number of parts and which may be cheaply and economically constructed.

Other objects of my invention will appear from the detailed description thereof (which follows) in connection with the drawings or will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates.

My invention comprehends the combination and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawin s which illustrate one convenient form 0 embodiment of my invention, but it will be understood that changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from my invention.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a view showing an end elevation of certain parts entering into the construction of my apparatus, certain other of the parts being shown symbolically and conventionally;

and Fig. 2 is a top plan view of certain parts of the apparatus embodying my invention.

Referrin to the drawings :1 designatestated by means of the motor 11, the said motor also performing an additional function to whic reference will be made hereinafter. The op osite ends of the secondary coil of the 'Ies a coil 9 are connected to the ends of conducting members, such as wires, 15 and 16, which extend spirally around the revoluble cylinders 17 and 18 of insulating material. The said wires 15 and 16 are connected to members 19 and 20 of conducting material which are located short distances apart and arranged spirally, as shown in the drawings, and which project above the surfaces of the cylinders 17 and 18. The wires 15 and 16 and the projecting members 19 and 20 do not extend entirely around the cylinders 17 and 18, the circumferential distances between the first and the last of said projecting members on each of said cylinders being equal to the circumferential distance or pitch between the said projections 19 and 20 on the cylinders 1-7 and 18.

For the purpose of causing revolution of the cylinders 17 and 18, the shaft 25 of the motor 11 is provided with a pinion 26 which engages a gear 27. upon a shaft 28, having a bevel pinion 29 in enga ement with a bevel gear 30 u on one end 0 a shaft 32, the opposite en of which is provided with a bevel gear 32 which engages a bevel gear having connection with the cylinder 18. A shaft 35 of insulating material is connected to the bevel gear 32 and is provided at one end with a bevel gear 36 which engages a bevel 37 connected to the cylinder 17. Rotation of the shafts 31 and 35 causes rotation of the bevel car 32 and 36 which in turn causes sync ronous rotation of the cylinders 17 and 18. As illustrated, the shafts 31 and 35 are not integral but if desired the said shafts may be constructed integrally of insulating material. It is necessar that the respectively are connected with conductors which extend to and have connection with terminals arranged in oppositely disposed groups 45 and 46. The said terminals are supported in members 47 and 18 of any suitable insulating material which members are in turn supported upon the upright members 49.

50 designates aconveyer of any suitable non-conducting material such as fabric. Only a portion of 4 the said conveyer is shown. The said conveyer is supported in any suit-able way and may be driven in any suitable manner and by suitable mechanism so as to convey the material or articles which it is desired to subject to the action of the electrical discharges between the terminals 45- and 46. These discharges take place successively between oppositely disposed terminals and in such order that all parts of' the articles or objects being treated will be subjected to their action.

By the word or term terminal employed herein, I intend to include any devices or points between which electrical discharges take place.

The broad subject matter of invention dis- I closed herein and not claimed, is claimed'in my co-pending applications, respectively filed January 7th, 1911, Serial No. 601,283, and March 13th, 1911, Serial No. 614,181.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a source of electrical energy, groups of oppositely disposed terminals, means for successively connecting the said terminals in the said groups with the said source of electrical energy, and means for supporting articles between the said groups of terminals whereby they may be subjected to the action of the electrical discharges between the said terminals.

2. In an'apparatus of the character described, the combination of a source of electrical energy, groups of oppositely disposed terminals, means for successively connect-- ing the terminals in the respective groups with the said source of electrical energy, and means consisting of insulating material for supporting articles b-ItWGQIl the said groups of terminals, whereby the said articles may be subjected to the action of the electrical discharges between the said terminals.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a source of electrical energy, a plurality of terminals arranged in oppositely disposed groups, the said terminals being supported by members of insulating material, synchronously rotating members having. projections thereon spirally arranged around the said cylinders and being connected together by means of an electric conductor, contact members interposed between the said cylinders and the said terminals andhaving connection with the said terminals, the said project-ions on the said cylinders successively contacting with or being brought successively in proximity to the said contact members, and means for connecting the said projections on the said cylinders to the source of electrical energy.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a source of alternating electric current, synchronously r0- tating cylinders each having a conducting member extending spirally partially around the same, the said conducting members being provided with projections at frequent intervals, means for connecting the said conducting members to the said source of alternating electric current, terminals arranged in oppositely disposed groups, and means for successively operatively connecting the said terminals to the said projections.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a source of alternating electric current, rotatable cylinders, conducting members extending part way around the said cylinders, projections of conducting material connected at intervals to the said conducting members, the circumferential distance between the first and the last of the said projections upon the respective conducting members being equal to the circumferential distance between any other two adjacent projections, terminals arranged in oppositely disposed groups, said terminals being insulated from each other, the said projections being brought successively int-o operative relation to the respective terminals of the groups, and insulating means for supporting articles between the said groups of terminals.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereunto signed my name this 11th day of March, A. l). 1911.

FRANKLIN S. SMITH.

In the presence of CARRIE E. KLEINFELDER, CYRUS N. ANDERSON. 

